Strapping band tightening device

ABSTRACT

A method of and apparatus for applying a tension force to a strapping band, and then securing the band with a seal, in order to secure a plurality of goods together, or to secure a package for shipping. The apparatus allows the user to feed the strapping band through the machine so that both ends of the band are secured in a rotating windlass. The windlass is then rotated to apply an equalized tension force to the band. The tension force is divided by the apparatus pulling both ends of the band simultaneously, the resultant forward force on the apparatus therefore being zero. After each banding operation, a return mechanism automatically positions the windlass in an optimum orientation for inserting the band for a successive banding operation.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the banding together of itemsinto a bundle secured by a tensioned encircling strap, and moreparticularly is a method of, and apparatus for, banding articles ofmanufacture with a banding strap. The banding is accomplished whileapplying tention in two opposing directions, the opposing tensioningforces being equal in magnitude so that there is no tendency of thebanding apparatus to move relative to the articles being banded, and sothat the pressure of the banding strap is equalized around the package.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Binding articles of manufacture together with a metal or plastic band iswell known in the prior art. Bundling multiple items together in thismanner, or simply strapping a package with a band, is a very common wayfor manufacturers to secure their products for shipping. The prior artbanding devices that are commonly used in industry all operate inessentially the same way: One end of the securing band is passed aroundthe goods to be bundled and then anchored in the banding apparatus bymeans of a gripping clamp, leaving a free end 4-6" long. The other endof the band is affixed to a tightening means (usually a rotatingwindlass), in the machine that applies incremental force to the strap sothat the strap is tightened around the bundle as the user appliestension. The free end of the strap overlaps the tensioned band at apoint where a seal is loaded into the machine. The user operates aratchet that rotates the windlass until the strap is pulled as tight asthe user desires. The seal is then crimped to lock the two ends of thestrap together so that the bundle is held securely.

One prior art device that accomplishes the bundling described above isthe "Banding Apparatus" of Synak, U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,546, issued Jan.26, 1993. This device includes expansion screws to prevent the crimpingforce on the seal from becoming so great that the device is broken ordamaged.

Another banding device in the prior art is the "apparatus for Producinga Connection Between Two Overlapping Band Sections of a Package Stripand Improved Closure Seal for Use Therewith" of Konrad, U.S. Pat. No.4,056,128, issued Nov. 1, 1977. As indicated in the title, this deviceuses the typical banding process, but claims an improved means offastening the seal to secure the band after tightening.

One shortcoming of the prior art devices is that due to the means oftightening, that is, securing one point and applying the tension toanother point of the band, the banding apparatus tends to be drawnacross the bundle being banded. This can make it difficult if notimpossible to properly crimp the seal if the banding apparatus is drawnto the edge of the bundle or package.

Another shortcoming of prior art devices is that they apply force toonly one side of the band, which results in unequal forces being appliedto the package. This can cause one side of the package to be crushed, orthe band to be broken, before the desired tension is achieved.

Still another problem with prior art devices is that the jaws of thesecuring means wear out, allowing the band to slip before the desiredtension is achieved. Even with a new securing means, the prior artdevices can only apply a tension of approximately 500 pounds before theband slips in the securing means. This tension is not sufficient in someapplications. Further, the teeth of the securing means can puncture theband, thereby significantly reducing its breaking strength.

Another problem in prior art devices is that due to space constraints,the cutting blade can come into contact with the band as tension isapplied. This can easily damage the band, thereby reducing theeffectiveness of the banding operation.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide abanding apparatus that tightens the banding strap by distributing thetension force to two points on the strap. This balances the forcesacting on the banding apparatus so that the machine does not tend tomove during the band tensioning operation, and so that one side of thepackage is not prematurely crushed. It also balances the force appliedto the strap so that the tension of the band is equalized around thepackage.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a machine thateliminates the need for a gripping clamp to secure the band fortightening.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method of and apparatus for applying atension force to a strapping band, and then securing the band with aseal, in order to secure a plurality of goods together, or to secure apackage for shipping. The device allows the user to feed the strappingband through the apparatus so that both ends of the band are secured ina windlass. The windlass is then rotated to apply an equalized tensionforce to the band. The tension force is split by the apparatus pullingboth ends of the band simultaneously, the resultant forward force on themachine therefore being zero. After each banding operation, a returnmechanism automatically positions the windlass in an optimum orientationfor inserting the band for a successive banding operation.

An advantage of the present invention is that force is applied equallyto two ends of the strap. The result is that the banding apparatus doesnot move relative to the package, and that the force on the strappingband is distributed equally around the package.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the need for atoothed gripping clamp to secure the band is eliminated. The toothedjaws of the gripping clamp can damage the strap and are the elementsthat wear out most quickly in the prior art devices. When the toothedjaws are worn, the user is not able to apply the desired tension to thestrap. Therefore elimination of these parts greatly extends the usefullife of the machine. Elimination of the griping clamp also allows theuse of a smaller base, thereby allowing the apparatus to be used onsmaller packages. It also allows sufficient room to install a cuttingdevice in the apparatus that is improved over the prior art.

A further advantage of the present invention is that a return devicereturns the windlass to an optimal position to load the band prior toevery banding operation, thereby reducing the time required for thebanding operation.

A still further advantage of the present invention is that insertion ofthe seal is into a side of the device, which greatly facilitates theloading of the seal relative to the prior art devices.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is the improved crimpingmechanism which allows the use of inexpensive standard seals in additionto the specially designed seals required for the prior art devices.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the descriptionof the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention asdescribed herein and as illustrated in the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the banding apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view in partial cross section of the bandingapparatus.

FIG. 3 is a top view in partial cross section of the banding apparatusshowing the elements of the tightening mechanism.

FIGS. 4A-C illustrate the return mechanism of the present invention withthe actuation arm lowered, raised with tension on the windlass, andraised with the tension released respectively.

FIGS. 5A-C show the seal used to secure the band.

FIGS. 6A-B are cutaway front views of the machine illustrating thecrimping mechanism with the crimping lever lowered and pushed forwardrespectively.

FIG. 7A is a partial cross section showing the cutting device in theopen position.

FIG. 7B is a side view of the apparatus with the actuation lever loweredand the cutting device in the open position.

FIG. 7C is a partial cross section showing the cutting device in theclosed position.

FIG. 7D is a side view of the apparatus with the actuation lever raisedso that the cutting device is closed to cut the band.

FIG. 8 shows the device with a first end of the band inserted into thedevice and the band looped around the package to be secured.

FIG. 9 shows the device with a second end of the band inserted into thedevice, with both ends passing through the seal and then through thewindlass.

FIG. 10 illustrates a typical packaging situation after the windlass hastightened the band around the package and the band has been cut.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a method of securing a band around a package ora plurality of goods to be bound together, and the apparatus to tighten,secure, and cut the band.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-3, the banding apparatus 10 of the presentinvention includes a main body 12, an actuation lever 14, a tighteninglever 16, and a crimping lever 18. The actuation lever 14 controls theoperation of three elements: (1) a pivoting front guide bar 20 at afront end of the banding apparatus 10, (2) a cutting device 34 locatedin front of a windlass 22, and (3) a windlass return mechanism 36attached to the windlass 22. The tightening lever 16 is used to rotatethe windlass 22 so that a band 24 is tightened around the package orarticles to be banded. A crimping mechanism 32 is operated by thecrimping lever 18. The crimping mechanism 32 closes a seal 30 after thetightening steps of the banding operation.

The structure of the tightening drive mechanism 38 is shown in crosssection detail in FIG. 3. The tightening lever 16 causes the drive shaft381 to rotate when the tightening lever 16 is operated. A tighteninglever clutch mechanism 382 allows the tightening drive to be ratcheteclby the tightening lever 16. That is, the clutch 382 secures thetightening lever 16 to the drive shaft 381 when the tightening lever 16is pushed forward and is applying tension to the band 24. The tighteninglever clutch 382 releases when pressure on the tightening lever 16 isreleased, so that tension on the band 24 is maintained as the tighteninglever 16 is pulled back.

A windlass clutch 383 is in communication with a windlass bearing 384.The windlass clutch 383 allows tension to be maintained on the windlass22 and the band 24 while the tightening lever 16 is being ratcheted.

The windlass 22 includes a central opening 221 comprising orthogonalchannels that are coincident with diameters of the windlass 22. Thecentral opening receives the ends of the band 24 during the tighteningphase of the banding process. In the loading position, the channel ofthe central opening 221 that will receive the band 24 is angled upwardfrom front to rear at an angle of approximately 15° to 25°. The anglecan be set to any orientation desired by the user to facilitate loadingof the band 24. The windlass return mechanism 36 ensures that thewindlass 22 is in the desired angled loading position. The operation ofthe windlass return mechanism is controlled by the actuation lever 14.

The operation of the windlass return mechanism 36 and the actuationlever 14 is illustrated in FIGS. 4A-C. FIG. 4A shows the position of theactuation lever 14 and the return mechanism 36 at the conclusion of abanding operation. The front guide bar 20 is in a lowered position andis under pressure from the band 24. The windlass drive shaft 222 hasbeen rotated to tighten the band 24 around the package. The returncylinder 361 of the return mechanism 36 is therefore not engaged withthe windlass drive shaft 222.

FIG. 4B shows the situation after the actuation lever 14 has beenraised, but while the device is still engaged with the uncut band 24.The actuation lever 14 compresses an actuation spring 141 and a returnspring 363 as the actuation lever 14 is raised. The front guide bar 20is in communication with the return mechanism 36 through front guide bararm 201. Since the front guide bar 20 is still under pressure from theband 24, there is no rotation of the return mechanism 36.

When the band 24 is cut, and the device 10 is disengaged from thetightened band 24 on the package, which is the situation shown in FIG.4C, the pressure on the front guide bar 20 and on the windlass 22 isreleased. This allows the return spring 363 to expand. As the returnspring 363 expands, a return bar 364 is pulled upward. As return bar 364moves upward, return cylinder 361 is rotated, and the front guide bararm 201 is pulled rearward to raise the front guide bar 20.

The rotation of the return cylinder 361 under the pulling force of thereturn spring 363 is in the same direction as the tightening rotation.This causes spring loaded pawl 362 to engage one of the notches 223 sothat the drive shaft 222 is rotated to the desired loading positiondescribed above. When the operator releases the actuation lever 14, theactuation spring 141 pulls the actuation lever 14 downward to thelowered position shown in FIG. 4A.

The seal 30 or securing clip used to secure the band 24 around thepackage or articles being banded is shown in FIGS. 5A-C. The seal 30 hasan open slot 301 that extends the length of the seal 30 to allowconvenient insertion of the band 24. The seal chamber 28 is situated ona side of the machine 10 so that a user can easily insert the seal 30while he is operating the machine. At the beginning of the bandingoperation, the seal 30 is placed in the seal chamber 28 with the openslot 301 facing outward in order to receive the band 24. The open slot301 is later closed during the seal crimping process.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate the crimping means 32. An upper roller 321 isin contact with an eccentric cam 181 at the end of the crimping lever18. When the crimping lever 18 is pushed forward, the cam 181 drives theupper roller downward. The upper roller is positioned on a lower roller322. The lower roller 322 rests on a crimping bar 323 that pivots abouta shaft 324. One end of the crimping bar 323 is affixed to a powerspring 325 that always maintains the crimping bar 323 in contact withthe lower roller 322. A retaining edge 326 on the crimping bar 323secures the seal 30 in position during the crimping operation.

The cutting device 34 is shown in detail in FIGS. 7A-D. The cuttingdevice 34 includes a stationary lower jaw 341 and a pivoting upper jaw342. During the banding operation, the two ends of the band 24 arethreaded between the upper and lower jaws 341, 342 of the cutter 34. Theupper jaw 342 is in communication with the actuation lever 14 through acutter lever 343 that is attached to the actuating lever 14 by shaft344. When the actuation lever 14 is raised, the upper jaw 342 moves fromthe raised position shown in FIG. 7A to the lowered position shown inFIG. 7C. As the cutting jaws 341, 342 cross, the two ends of the band 24that are threaded through the cutting device 34 are cut. The lowerlength of the band 24, which is positioned beneath the lower jaw 341, isnot affected by the cutting operation.

Referring now to FIG. 8, with the windlass in the loading position andthe actuation lever 14 raised, a first end of the band 24 is insertedinto the banding apparatus 10. The first end of the band 24 passes underthe windlass 22, a rear divider 40, and the cutting device 34. The firstend of the band 24 is then extended from the front of the devicesufficiently so that the two ends of the band 24 can be placed together.The lever 14 is released, and actuation spring 141 (shown in FIG. 4)returns the lever 14 to its lowered position. Lowering the lever 14moves the front guide bar 20 to the lowered position shown in FIG. 9,and presses the first end of the band 24 downward.

The user joins the two ends of the band 24 and reverse threads themthrough the open slot 301 of the seal 30. (The seal 30 has been loadedinto the seal chamber 28.) This results in there being three layers ofthe band 24 in the seal 30. The two joined ends of the band 24 arepassed through the cutting device 34, over the rear divider 40, andthrough the central opening 221 of the windlass 22. At this point, theband 24 is ready to be tightened around the package or articles beingbanded.

The user then operates the tightening lever 16 to rotate the windlass 22until the band 24 is drawn to the tension desired to securely bind thepackage or articles as shown in FIG. 10. There is no net pulling forceon the device 10 during the tightening operation due to the fact thatboth ends of the band 24 are pulled simultaneously by the windlass 22.This results in there being no net resultant forward force on thebanding machine, which eliminates any forward motion of the device 10during the banding operation, and equalizes the tension of the bandaround the package.

After the band 24 is tightened around the package, the seal crimpingmeans 32 is actuated by pushing forward the crimping lever 18. When thecrimping lever 18 is pushed forward, the cam 181 at the end of thecrimping lever 18 drives the rollers 321, 322 downward onto the crimpingbar 323. This causes the crimping means 32 to crush the seal 30 aroundthe band 24 to secure the band 24 in the tightened position.

At the end of the banding operation, the operator once again raises theactuation lever 14. This causes the cutting device 34 to cut the band24. When the device is disengaged from the band 24, the return mechanism36 returns the windlass 22 to its optimal loading position.

The above disclosure is not intended as limiting. Those skilled in theart will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations ofthe device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only bythe restrictions of the appended claims.

We claim:
 1. A banding apparatus comprising:a main body upon which aremounted; a tightening means, said tightening means includes a windlassthat receives both ends of a band, said windlass is rotated by thetightening means to tighten the band around a package by said windlassapplying a pulling force to both ends of the band simultaneously, awindlass return mechanism that after a securing operation returns saidwindlass to an optimal position for loading a band for a next operationcycle, a guide bar means to serve as a base, said tightening means pullsthe band against said guide bar means, a crimping means that at the endof each said securing operation affixes the band in a tightened positionwith a seal, and a cutting means to cut the ends of the band near saidseal at the end of each said securing operation.
 2. The bandingapparatus of claim 1 wherein:said windlass return mechanism comprises areturn cylinder that engages a windlass drive shaft when said returnmechanism is actuated by an actuation means, said actuation meansincludes an actuation lever that compresses a first spring and a secondspring as said actuation lever is raised, a front guide bar that is incommunication with said return mechanism through a front guide bar armsuch that when said front guide bar is under pressure from a tightenedband, there is no rotation of said cylinder of said return mechanism,and when the band is cut and the device is disengaged from the tightenedband on the package, the pressure on the front guide bar and on thewindlass is released, thereby allowing said second spring to expand,pulling a return bar of said return mechanism upward, said return bar ispivotally attached to said return cylinder such that when said returnbar moves upward, said return cylinder is rotated and said front guidebar arm is pulled rearward to raise said front guide bar, rotation ofsaid return cylinder under the pulling force of said second spring is inthe same direction as the tightening rotation which causes a springloaded pawl to engage one of a plurality of notches in said windlassdrive shaft so that said windlass is rotated to an optimal loadingposition, and when an operator releases said actuation lever, said firstspring pulls said actuation lever downward to a starting position. 3.The banding apparatus of claim 1 wherein:the apparatus further includesan actuation means; said actuation means operates a pivoting front guidebar at a front end of the banding apparatus, said front guide bar is incommunication with a cylinder of said windlass return mechanism by meansof a guide bar arm, said guide bar pushes said band downward tofacilitate loading of the band into the banding apparatus when anactuation lever of said actuation means is activated; and said actuationmeans further operates said cutting means by moving a pivoting upper jawof said cutting means that is in communication with said actuation leversuch that when said actuation lever is raised, said upper jaw is movedpast a stationary lower jaw of said cutting means so as to cut the twoends of the band which are threaded through said cutting means when theband is loaded into the banding apparatus, a lower portion of the bandbeing loaded under said lower jaw so as not to be affected by saidcutting means.
 4. The banding apparatus of claim 1 wherein:said crimpingmeans comprises an eccentric cam positioned at the end of a crimpinglever, an upper roller positioned above and in contact with a lowerroller, said lower roller is in contact with a crimping bar, saidcrimping bar pivots about a shaft, said crimping bar is affixed to apower spring that maintains said crimping bar in contact with said lowerroller; such that when said crimping means, is activated, said camdrives said upper roller, said lower roller, and said contact end ofsaid crimping bar downward so that said seal is tightened around theband, there being at least three layers of said band in said seal. 5.The banding apparatus of claim 1 wherein:a tightening drive mechanismcauses a drive shaft to rotate when a tightening lever is operated, atightening lever clutch mechanism allows said tightening drive mechanismto be ratcheted by said tightening lever by means of a first clutch thatsecures said tightening lever to said drive shaft when said tighteninglever is pushed forward, said first clutch releases when pressure onsaid tightening lever is released to maintain tension of the band assaid tightening lever is pulled back, and a second clutch allows tensionto be maintained on said windlass and the band while said tighteninglever is being ratcheted.
 6. A method of securing a band around apackage comprising the following steps:(a) threading a first end of theband through a banding apparatus and a seal inserted therein, (b)extending the first end of the band from a front of the device so thatthe first end can be placed together with a second end of the band andreverse threaded through the device, (c) reverse threading the first endof the band around a guide bar means and joining the two ends of theband and reverse threading them through the device and through a sealloaded into a seal chamber of the device, (d) passing the two ends ofthe band through a cutting means and into a windlass of the device, (e)rotating the windlass so as to simultaneously pull both ends of the banduntil the band is drawn to a tension required to securely bind thepackage, and (f) securing the band in place with a securing means. 7.The method of claim 6 wherein:said securing band contains at least threelayers of said band therein.
 8. The method of claim 6 wherein:saidsecuring means is a seal affixed by a seal crimping means actuated byraising a crimping lever, when said crimping lever is raised, aneccentric cam at an end of said crimping lever drives a crimping bardownward so as to crush said seal around the band to secure the band inthe tightened position.
 9. The method of claim 6 wherein:following eachsecuring operation, the windlass is returned to an optimal loadingposition by a windlass return mechanism.
 10. The method of claim 6wherein:following each securing operation, the two ends of the bandthreaded through said windlass are cut by the cutting means, a movableupper jaw of the cutting means passing over a stationary lower jaw ofthe cutting means.
 11. A method of securing a band around a packagecomprising the following steps:(a) with a windlass of a bandingapparatus in a loading position and an actuation lever of the bandingapparatus raised, threading a first end of the band under the windlass,under a rear divider, under the cutting means, and through a seal loadedinto a seal chamber of the banding apparatus, (b) the first end of theband is then extended from a front of the device sufficiently so thatthe first end and a second end of the band can be placed together withsufficient length to reverse thread said band through the device, (c)releasing the actuation lever so that a spring returns the lever to alowered position, said releasing of the actuation lever also lowers afront guide bar to a lowered position so as to press the first end ofthe band downward, (d) joining the two ends of the band and reversethreading the two ends through the seal, through the cutting means, overthe rear divider, and through a central opening of the windlass, (e)operating a tightening lever to rotate the windlass until the band isdrawn to a tension desired to securely bind the package, (f) actuating aseal crimping means by raising a crimping lever to cause an eccentriccam located at an end of the crimping lever to drive a crimping bardownward so as to crush the seal around the band to secure the band in atightened position, (g) raising the actuation lever to actuate thecutting means to cut the band, and (h) disengaging the device from theband so that a return mechanism returns the windlass to the optimalloading position.